


New Priorities

by River_Nix



Series: Red Marking [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Mafia AU, Assassin Ric Grayson, Dick and Ric Grayson are twins, Gunshot Wounds, Healing, Hurt Ric Grayson, M/M, Multi, Prostitute Dick Grayson, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Ric Grayson, Ric Grayson is a Talon, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:53:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29774373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_Nix/pseuds/River_Nix
Summary: Being backed up into a corner shouldn’t scare Ric as much as it does in this situation, given how many close-calls he’s had in the past.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Ric Grayson, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd/Ric Grayson, Koriand'r & Jason Todd, Ric Grayson/Jason Todd, Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Roy Harper & Koriand'r & Jason Todd
Series: Red Marking [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113110
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	New Priorities

Ric couldn’t say that this scene was new to him. He’s had to pick himself (and sometimes Richard alongside) up and out of some really fucked up situations. However, this had to take the record for the most chaotic of situations to be in. Two crime bosses ordered him to kill their colleagues, three have tried to recruit him (forcefully), and now one had his face. His identity, while not in any Gotham record, was revealed to the Red Hood. It brought up a lot of problems, but there was only one that Ric could bring himself to be worried about; Richard. 

The same brother who was currently fussing over him was worse than a mother hen, eyes wide and distraught as gentle hands helped Ric up the stairs and to the bed. They had medical kits and equipment stashed in various places around the house, but the only comfortable place for Ric to lay his battered body down was their bed. The couch would mess up his spine or his neck (maybe both) and the table was just...no. Ric would never recover if he just laid on their wooden table. 

“What happened?” Richard rushed to their connected bathroom so he could grab one of the kits, also taking the time to grab some towels for clean-up. If the running water was anything to go by, at least. Ric just let himself stay put on the bed, tossing his mask across the room and beginning to peel his uniform off. The sweat and the blood definitely made some parts more difficult to take off than others, but he managed to get it all off with minimum disturbance to his wounds. That would need to be taken care of later. With how many gunshot holes, rips, and a few explosions from those stupid arrows, it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the uniform would need to be retired. There was a point in which some things couldn’t be fixed, after all. 

Back to his body though, that was hardly the case. The bruises would be there for a while, there was nothing they could do but ice them and let them heal on their own time. Though, most of the cuts and puncture holes he had would need to be cleaned out, then promptly stitched up. 

Ric knew he’d have to stay put for a month at minimum to recover. Not specifically on the bed (though Richard would probably insist he stay seated or lying down for a majority of the time) but off of the field in general. While it wouldn’t be the first time he’s had to go silent as he rested and healed, it would be the first time he was unnerved by remaining down. Not only did he and Richard have an entire gang after them now, but he hadn’t gotten paid. 

Unsurprising, given the circumstances. 

And Ric wouldn’t typically be that upset since he would just kill off his employer and take his money any other day, but this...there were a lot of problems. Red Hood wanted to hunt them down and force them into his ranks, if anything Arsenal was hinting at with his ambush was anything to go by. Ric was tempted to introduce him to the same fate as Penguin and Scarecrow - when they tried to force the same thing - but that was something to think about when he was in a better position to carry through with anything he could plan. It left a wide window of time open for Red Hood to retaliate. 

( _ That _ , and the fact that Red Hood seemed to be more...important (?)...than Penguin and Scarecrow. There hasn’t been much mention of unrest with their disappearances and until Joker, no one really cared that some crime bosses seemed to go missing. That could very well change with the Red Hood; he would be the fourth victim, possibly insighting some paranoia into the others. There was no doubt in Ric’s head that he could kill Red Hood if he were at his best, just as much as he expected for the guy’s gang to seek vengeance. Judging by how the night had gone down, they could do some considerable damage before being wiped out themselves.)

In any case, Ric wouldn’t risk anything when he didn’t have a backup plan. At the very least, he needed someplace to retreat to if he and his brother came under heavy fire. They could escape, but only if they had the necessary resources to do so. To get that? Ric kinda needed the money that Red Hood owed him for the job. It was frustratingly ironic, to say the least. The guy who was intending to force them into positions they didn’t want had (possibly) unknowingly trapped them. Ric and Richard had always had more than enough to live ‘comfortably’ and carry out missions successfully. It took a lot of effort, obviously, but it could be done. Establishing themselves as residents of whatever area they decided to hunker down in and keep all of their equipment perfect for when missions came up was extremely expensive when one took the fact that they technically didn’t exist anywhere into consideration. To keep that whole thing a secret without casting any suspicion wasn’t exactly easy! It required brains and money. 

While Ric still had plenty of his brain, the lack of his last pay could complicate things. 

It probably wouldn’t take Richard more than a few months to gather enough money from his own job - subtracting the money that they’d need for food and other house/medical necessities - but that was still time for Red Hood to make his move. And who knew? One of those moves could be exposing his face to colleagues in Gotham or, dear God  _ no,  _ possibly allies all over the world. It would make keeping low and out of mind until he was specifically called for a job much more difficult. Plus, it put Richard in a considerable amount of danger! They had the same face and the different hairstyles or shades of eye color could easily be blamed on beauty products. Hell, even Richard being more on the tan side compared to Ric’s white skin could be blamed on something else other than the two being different people!

Ric loved his twin, he truly did. Richard was, without a doubt, currently the only person he gave a damn about in this fucked up world. However, he wouldn’t deny that having a twin brother to care about sometimes closed options that they really needed. In this situation, if a plan didn’t work because Ric literally couldn’t carry it out due to disabilities or lack of resources, then it was because Richard would be placed in unnecessary danger. He needed his younger twin safe more than he wanted to leave this wretched place and the man who was currently after him. They both needed to make decisions based on what would help save them both, not just one. There was no “I” in any family, especially not one like their brotherhood. 

_ Fucking Hell…! _ Ric wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose out of irritation, but Richard took that exact moment to return with all of the wet towels and bandages. Moving wouldn’t be the best option as he took his seat next to Ric, the bed dipping under their combined weight. 

The concerned look his younger twin cast him had Ric instinctively trying to smile in reassurance. Although, past experience has taught him that such an action would only make Richard more worried. Which...it did...but he’d gotten used to keeping his cool in these types of cases. He was almost like a ghost as he washed each wound, the towel applying just enough pressure that it was a thorough clean even though the hand controlling the towel was so distant. Barely a sting was left behind as some of the nastier-looking puncture holes were cleaned up, but that could have also been connected to Ric’s high tolerance for pain. 

The disinfectant would hurt like a bitch though. And the fact that it had to go all over would leave Ric tingly for days! 

“You still didn’t tell me what went down tonight.” Richard didn’t look up from his work, too engrossed with tending to Ric’s wounds to even think of lifting his eyes away. Not that the older of the two minded, it made explaining a lot less complicated since he wouldn’t be tempted to feed off of his twin’s emotions as he spoke. It happened too easily, even when they both tried to keep to themselves. 

“Ambush.” An underestimate, to say the least. Also, probably as obvious as being told the sky as being blue. But it was a start. “Red Hood wasn’t content with just letting me walk away.” 

Richard still looked up, though he did pause when he set the towel aside so he could grab the disinfectant. “What do you mean?” The cap to the bottle came open with a tiny ‘pop’, followed by the odd sound of the substance being squished in the bottle as it was forcefully pushed out. “I thought we had everything he wanted?” 

“On the drive? That was probably the case.” Ric grit his teeth as Richard made gentle work of beginning to work the disinfectant into his skin. They’d both found out, relatively quickly, that just pouring that stuff onto an open wound wasn’t actually the best way to make sure that it got everything it needed to. The addition of puncture wounds only supported that notion. Being sliced open was one thing, but having an actual hole in you was another. “But no, that’s not what I mean. I did the job he assigned, just didn’t agree to everything else he originally wanted.” 

“You know that’s not exactly helpful, right?” At that, Richard took the moment to look up. Unimpressed would be one way to describe his look, though dry wouldn't be too far either. At times like this, Ric questioned if he truly didn’t make sense of if his twin was just losing his touch when it came to their brotherly, bantery, world play games. “Give it to me straight.” His fingers were still rubbing into the cleaned wound if only to make sure that everything was truly clean before being covered by cloth. It wouldn’t do to be wrapping and unwrapping, after all. The less time the wound had in the open air, the better. “Last time I checked, you both settled on an assignment on a price. Did he change his mind last minute, or something?” 

“Close.” Ric waited until Richard was done with the disinfectant. As he reached for the bandages and started wrapping, Ric continued: “He wanted me to join his gang.” There was no hesitation or pause in Richard’s bandaging, but the way that his breath hitched was a good sign of his alarm. It went unsaid that they would be pressed for time on their next moves. 

“...his second...he also managed to...well, he saw my face.” 

Ric gestured to his broken mask. Richard didn’t bother turning to check the condition, only nodded as he continued to work. He didn’t stop, not even when he was done with his first wrapping. One was done, then the next injury was immediately being tended to. 

“It might be dangerous for you to go out.” 

“I figured.” Richard didn’t sound upset, but the defeat was palpable. They couldn’t  _ not  _ work and expect to get anywhere. “I don’t think stopping is gonna work for long, though.” 

“Right…” 

The two sat in silence as Richard continued, only Ric’s occasional grunt or hiss breaking the atmosphere. There was a lot to consider and very few options that sounded appealing. At the very least, they had their house to retreat to. It was far enough from Red Hood’s territory that he had little business being present and there was a sliver of a chance that any one of his gang members would be patrolling here for the two. Or, more specifically, for Ric. 

“We’ll figure something out.” Ric turned a bit so he could cup his twin’s cheek, his softened expression nearly glowing as the two stared at each other. He wasn’t one to be too optimistic and hopeful, that was Richard’s job. In this case, though, he could allow the other to take a small break; focused on bandaging Ric up and trying to work out all of the new information he’s been given peacefully. “We will.” 

The words didn’t comfort either of them, but somehow, Ric still knew that leaving their conversation in any other type of mood would leave them sleepless. 

Richard kept up his movements until he was sure that Ric was as safe as he could get. Admittedly, the injuries that needed to be stitched took longer than they normally did as Richard tried to keep his mind off of what he had been told. If his fingers twitched lightly or if he accidentally pulled the needle a bit too harshly - forcing the thread to follow its influence - then all Ric did was bite his lip to keep any noises in. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t understand the temporary numbness of the situation. 

Wounds cleaned, disinfected, and now cared for; they could finally move forward to their sleep routine. Given the state of Ric’s body and the fact that he was still working through the stress/trauma it had just been put through, both brothers agreed that trying to stuff food inside wouldn’t be a good idea. The best thing that could happen would be that he’d throw it back up after he ate it. The worst thing would be that Ric got sick at just the hint of smelling food. Not to say that Richard was much better. Too filled with concern over Ric and fear of what was to come made his stomach rather...cranky. Any thoughts of food were quickly dispelled even though he had only had a small snack earlier instead of an actual meal. 

That meant that their next step would be to get the rest of Ric cleaned up so that he could climb into bed without having to worry over the messy sheets. Any washcloths that escaped their usage for when Richard was first cleaning Ric’s open wounds were yanked out. They couldn’t use the shower with Ric’s freshly stitched up and bandaged body, but gently rubbing around the non-damaged areas would allow Richard plenty of control. No accidents were prone to happen with that in mind. 

There were no lingering touches as Richard thought about Ric’s wounds - the typical response to when Ric returned home in this type of condition. It was all gentle, but rushed; easily hinting at Richard’s need to get Ric into bed so that the older one could begin his rest. In the center of the shower platform, Ric stood - much stiffer than any statue - as Richard made quick work of cleansing him. It wouldn’t be the first time that they had washed each other, but it always felt awkward to rely on his younger twin for something as simple as bathing. Then again, he supposed that just letting it happen was easier than fighting Richard on it and going to sleep on that fight. 

“I think I’m gonna take a break tomorrow night.” Richard looked up as he finished cleaning Ric, eyes hopeful as Ric shifted a bit. It was ridiculous to assume that Richard would ever need permission to take a break from a job that Ric wasn’t really involved in, but it sure seemed like he needed some sort of validation with the way that he was glancing upwards at his twin. 

When Ric thought about it, he could assume that Richard was subtly asking about whether or not he wanted to be alone for the day after tonight. “Alright.” He stepped out and made a grab for the floss. “Maybe we should both take the day off tomorrow. We can get back to dealing with Red Hood later?” 

It was in complete opposite of the urgency that Ric had felt and hinted at when he was first telling Richard of what happened, but he supposed that being calmer helped his mind come to a more realistic conclusion. They both survived the day, they probably needed at least a day to recover before they could efficiently work. Besides, it wouldn’t be too bad to keep Richard close while Ric was so freshly stitched up. If anything happened, then it was a lot easier to fix with some extra hands. 

“Sounds good.” Richard looked as relieved as he sounded, as confusing as that was to envision. While he took his own quick shower, Ric worked through flossing and brushing his teeth. It shouldn’t have been as difficult or stiff as it was, but the stitches pulling with each move didn’t bounce off of his nerves very much. There would be a sharp pain as Ric moved, which would fade into a light ache until he was laying himself on the softer material of their shared mattress. He was fine with taking pain, he had learned how to from the best. But...it was still irritating as shit. 

Richard took some time to join him. Not only did he need to do his own teeth-cleaning, he also took the liberty of doing one final scan around the house. Doors, windows, hidden compartments, and their tech pieces were all checked for safety purposes. The slight amount of paranoia had to have come from the knowledge that they had someone after them now. Not that Ric minded too much, it saved him from having to do it in the morning. 

He was being serious about taking it easy for the first day. 

“Night.” Richard made sure all of the lights were off as he slid in besides Ric, carefully wrapping his arms around his older twin as he got comfortable. It was a bit more distant than their usual cuddling position, mostly because Richard was scared of rubbing against any of Ric’s fresh wounds. “Love you.” 

Ric grunted in agreement, turning a bit so that he could nuzzle into Richard’s hair. They both fell into a dreamless sleep, unaware (and currently uncaring) of what their new enemy found themselves up to. It was something to concern themselves with when they were more aware and informed. 

**_∾∾∾∾∾∾∾∾∾∾∾∾_ **

“We may have a small problem.” Kori felt her neck twitch with discomfort as she turned, though it was easily ignored as she took in the blank screen to her left and the picture to her right. It had been about half an hour of turning back and forth, trying to take in every detail and every result so she could get a name to match the face that Roy had managed to get. She had managed to get a clear portrait while he was being tended to in the medical bay, so it was reasonably frustrating for both of them to come see the fruits of his labor turning out...not well. Just because they had a face didn’t mean that they had an identity. 

Somehow. Did this person just not exist? Perhaps, seeing as how he was related to The Court of Owls, that shouldn’t have been so surprising. But still! By facial recognition, there was some hope that articles (which couldn’t be erased in fear of public speculation) or other news clippings would have some answers. Yet there was nothing on the records! As it stood, it appeared that all they could rely on - for now - would be the blood that Talon had been forced to leave behind. It was still being processed with an unnamable amount of time until it was finished and they could get searching. 

(Kori hoped, for Roy and Jason’s sakes, that those small drops of murky crimson would give them more than what the computer was.)

After all, just because Talon was erased didn’t mean that other family was. Grandparents, parents, aunts/uncles, siblings...someone had to originate and connect from somewhere. She just needed to find where that connection was. 

**Author's Note:**

> Put a sad face in the comments if you really have sympathy for Ric. He’s got Red Hood (plus the entire gang) after him, he’s got to worry about healing, financial status, and keeping his younger twin out of the crossfire since his face has been exposed. It sounds like such a short list, but everything on it is a lot more difficult than it sounds!   
> Other than that, here’s my [Tumblr](https://river-nix.tumblr.com/) if anyone wants to message me or find my Ko-Fi info, commissions are still open. Or if anyone wants to donate to support me, anything is appreciated. Thanks, everyone!


End file.
